In the News:
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Story on NPR: an EPA Paper Faults the Agency for Thousands of Deaths
Read an article and listen to this story… by Elizabeth Shogren All Things Considered, October 3, 2006 · Internal government documents obtained by NPR indicate that the Environmental Protection Agency could have saved thousands of lives each year if it set a stricter standard for soot in the air we breathe. |
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DCR Announces Mount Greylock Road Reconstruction
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Commissioner Stephen H. Burrington announced that $21.3 million in state funding has been allocated by the Romney Administration through the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) for the Historic Parkway Rehabilitation at Mount Greylock State Reservation in northern Berkshire County. “This project is the largest single capital improvement project ever undertaken in the Massachusetts state park system,” said Commissioner Burrington. “It is fitting that this work will be done to restore the historically significant parkway at Mount Greylock, the Commonwealth’s highest peak, one of the Berkshire’s most popular tourist destinations, and state park system’s first acquisition, back in 1898.” The 13.5 miles of historic parkway at Mount Greylock consist of three roads: Rockwell Road (7.3 miles), Notch Road (5.72 miles) and Summit Road (0.77 miles). The parkway’s winding route, naturalistic design and spectacular sequence of vistas reflect the design and craftsmanship of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a Depression-era public works program. Corps members completed the roads in 1939. The goal of the project is to rehabilitate the historic parkway system in a manner that balances safety, recreation, conservation and historic landscape preservation. The scope of the rehabilitation project will include: * Repairs to bring the roads to current transportation and safety standards “I am excited to see the state investing in the State Park System and specifically in its flagship park, Mount Greylock,” said State Representative Denis E. Guyer. “Once completed, these repairs will make Mount Greylock a safer place and more enjoyable for everyone who uses it.” “Fixing the Mount Greylock Historic Parkway is critical to the safety of the thousands and thousands of visitors who head up the mountain,” said State Senator Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr. “This project will also contribute significantly to the local economy, and will further enhance the experience for those who visit our state’s highest peak.” “This has long been in the works. Mount Greylock is the crown jewel of our state parks and is one of our area’s great assets,” said State Representative Daniel Bosley. “I’m glad to see it is finally getting the rehabilitation it deserves.” Project designer Vollmer Associates, LLP originally developed plans for the project in 2002 when the parkway restoration at Mount Greylock was one of two Demonstration Projects of the EOEA Historic Parkways Initiative, the other being the rehabilitation of Memorial Drive in Cambridge. With the availability of project funding, spread out over the 2007, 2008 and 2009 fiscal years, DCR was authorized to enter into contract with Vollmer to update the project design and renew permits. Solicitation of bids was issued in October 2006. Bids are due by December 13, 2006, and the construction contract is expected to be awarded in January 2007, with construction work expected to begin in April 2007. The entire project is expected to be completed by June 2009. Construction is estimated to cost $18.9 million, with the remainder of the $21.3 million overall budget going toward design and environmental services. “On behalf of the Mount Greylock Advisory Council, we are extremely pleased that the road reconstruction project is moving forward. Mount Greylock is the most spectacular natural vantage point in Massachusetts and the road permits visitors who cannot hike to the summit an opportunity to enjoy the experience,” said Barry Emery, Chairman of the Mt. Greylock Advisory Council. “Furthermore, Greylock’s roads were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Core and are an historical artifact worthy of our care and maintenance. From the council I extend our thanks to the Commissioner, our Berkshire congressional delegation, and Bob Mellace, the DCR Western Regional supervisor, for their combined efforts in bringing this project to fruition.” Due to seasonal constraints, construction will occur between April 1 and November 1 as weather permits. Mount Greylock roads will be closed to the public for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Road closures during construction will provide substantial financial savings as well as speeding up the time it will take to complete the project. The Visitors Center on Rockwell Road in Lanesborough will remain open during construction. During construction, while roads are closed to the public, trails on the state reservation will be open to walkers, hikers, and mountain bikers. As construction work is not expected to take place during the winter months, winter activities such as cross country skiing, snowmobiling and winter camping are not expected to be impacted by the parkway rehabilitation project. Sperry Road Campground will be open to backpack campers only. Reservations will be limited to two-night stays and can be made through the ReserveAmerica online reservation system. Car campers will be directed to nearby DCR campgrounds at Clarksburg State Park, Savoy Mountain State Forest and Mohawk Trail State Forest. DCR plans to work with state and regional tourism officials and non-profit organizations such as the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Appalachian Trail Committee to notify tourists, residents and visitors to Mount Greylock regarding plans to close the roads up the mountain during construction. DCR will also have updates on the project posted on the agency website. Information will also be available by calling the visitors center, (413)-499-4262. No closing date has yet been posted for the roads this year. |
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Unkamet Brook – Will Pittsfield’s plan dump even more PCBs into the Housatonic River?
BEAT presents this in two parts. Part I of the Berkshire Eagle article introduces the City of Pittsfield’s plan to “remove sediment” from parts of Unkamet Brook. While this project might sound good, BEAT believes it may be a MAJOR PROBLEM for Unkamet Brook. At the end of the news story follow the link to Part II to see why BEAT believes this plan will causes an unknown quantity of PCBs and other hazardous chemicals to be flushed into the Housatonic River upstream of the “clean up”. Part I: Excerpt: $474,600 in funds for river initiative – Friday, October 27 The city plans to use the funding to clear areas of Unkamet Brook around Glenn Drive, Oak Hill Avenue, Partridge Road and Crane Avenue, Collingwood said. Plans call for the installation of detention basins to prevent erosion, he added. The Pittsfield project is one of 10 similar Massachusetts initiatives that the state DEP has recommended receive $1.6 million in fiscal 2007 funding through the Section 319 Nonpoint Source Competitive Grant Program. The funding is expected to be available this fall. All of the programs are expected to begin in the spring of 2007. The entire cost of the Oak Hill project is $474,600. The remaining $267,600 will be paid out of the city’s $2 million capital budget, which includes funding for three stormwater improvement initiatives, Public Works Commissioner Bruce Collingwood said yesterday. The Section 319 grant program focuses on the implementation of measures to control non-point sources of water BEAT – While the concept sounds good, BEAT is much more concerned with the toxic waste in Unkamet Brook than the nutrients. Please read our Unkamet Brook: Making a Bad Situation Worse. |
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Symposium on Alternative Remedial Technologies to Destroy PCBspresented by: Friday, November 17, 9:00 – 3:00 In keeping with HRI’s policy to advocate for the destruction, rather than the storage of toxic waste, the Initiative has Presenters:
The decisions regarding the cleanup of the ”rest of the river” are imminent and will be finalized within the next year.
We hope that you and anyone you wish to invite will attend. call/email with any questions. Event Co-Sponsors: |
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Massachusetts Suspended Water Pollution Discharge Limits 10/25
No Monitoring for 1.4 Million Gallons per Day of Industrial Wastewater Washington, DC — For the past eight years, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has allowed hundreds of industries to discharge unknown amounts of toxic chemicals into municipal sewage plants without state permits, according to agency records released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). As a result, streams of harmful chemicals may have entered Boston Harbor and other state water bodies for years without any warning to municipalities, fishermen or consumers. Beginning in 1998, DEP has issued what are called “forbearance letters” to at least 278 industrial wastewater dischargers. These forbearance letters “temporarily” waive all permit limits, monitoring requirements, and holding tank approvals, as well as all state fees. These forbearance letters remain in effect today. Based upon records obtained by PEER, the state waived regulation over an estimated 1.4 million gallons per day of wastewater entering municipal sewage systems. Although some municipal sewage plants monitor industrial dischargers carefully, others do not. According to DEP records, the industrial wastewater sent to treatment plants that do not have industrial pre-treatment programs were found to carry everything from radioactive elements, such as radium, to heavy metals, such as barium and chromium, as well as an array of acids, acetones and other chemicals. Due to a lack of state monitoring, it is unknown how much of the chemical mix reached public water bodies. “Massachusetts is guilty of a jaw-dropping abdication of its public health responsibilities,” stated New England PEER Director Kyla Bennett, a former lawyer and biologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “There is no excuse for this egregious eight-year dereliction of duty.” Sewage plants themselves have federal permits limiting the pollutants they may discharge, but these permits do not necessarily cover every toxic pollutant that industries are putting into the sewer system. This is especially problematic when neither the sewage plants nor the government knows what pollutants industries are discharging. Even the precise extent of the DEP wastewater waiver practice is unclear, as DEP misplaced final copies of some of the forbearance letters. DEP issued the forbearance letters on the pretext that it was on the verge of promulgating new regulations. However, these regulations were not proposed until more than eight years after the forbearance letters became standard operating procedure. In late September, DEP finally proposed regulations to replace forbearance letters. These proposed rules, however, would still eliminate individual state permits for virtually all but the largest industrial sewage dischargers regardless of how toxic their discharges may be. “Unfortunately, the proposed new rules are also inadequate,” Bennett added, noting that DEP is also claiming that it lacks funds to run an adequate program. “At this point, the Legislature needs to step in and ensure DEP will finally start properly regulating the flow of industrial wastewater throughout the Commonwealth.” DEP “forbearance letter” (pdf) to a 250,000 gallon per-day industrial discharger DEP forbearance letter (pdf) for discharge of toxic chemicals to a sewage plant lacking pre-treatment Proposed DEP industrial wastewater rules (pdf) and their explanation (pdf) |
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Seven Berkshire Towns Receive Smart Growth Funds 10/28
Seven Berkshire County towns are among the 51 state communities that have received state Smart Growth grants for development, bylaw and zoning projects, state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Secretary Robert J. Golledge Jr. said yesterday. The EOEA has provided more than $800,000 in funding for the current fiscal year through its Smart Growth Technical Assistance Grant Program. The selection criteria favored activities that implement recommendations from community development or master plans, that promote development consistent with the Commonwealth Capital criteria and that achieve real change in land-use practices. The projects include the development of storm-water and low-impact development bylaws; open-space residential subdivision bylaws; mixed-use city and town center zoning districts, and transit-oriented development zoning districts. Becket received a $30,000 grant for a rezoning project that includes ridgeline, river and wind-power bylaws, along with accessory dwelling units. Dalton received $13,250 for a ridgeline protection bylaw, a low-impact development bylaw and a developer’s guide. Great Barrington received $30,000 for an open-space residential-design bylaw update, Community Preservation Act research and education, and a downtown mixed-use bylaw. Lanesborough received $17,500 for a zoning review, town center rezoning and site plan review updates. Lenox received $27,500 through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission for traditional neighborhood development districts for the “Gateway” and Lenox Road. Otis received a $22,695 grant for a village center update, a low-impact development bylaw and an open-space residential-design bylaw. Williamstown received $5,500 for an open-space residential-design bylaw. Cummington is one of five Hampshire County towns that received $4,772 through Pioneer Valley Planning Commission to update the Westfield River Wild & Scenic Bylaw. |
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Don’t Flush Unwanted Medications 10/25
Doctors’ advice to flush unwanted medications no longer applies if the The Northeast Recycling Council, Inc. announced publication of three The first documents of their kind, these guides are the result of the Effectiveness of programs was tested when unwanted medications were The guides provide detailed descriptions of best management practices for Operating Unwanted Medication Collections – A Legal and Safe Approach (pdf)
The Northeast Recycling Council’s mission is to advance an |
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New Green Dry Cleaner in Great Barrington 10/29
Cleaners go green Sunday, October 29 For the past several days, a work crew has been removing the old-fashioned dry-cleaning equipment — which uses chemicals that government agencies have flagged as toxins — and replacing it with new eco-friendly machines using organic solvents. It was a business pledge that owners Kiki and Jae Koo Shin made when they moved from New York nearly four years ago and bought the Bridge Street cleaning business for $385,000. They had sold their two dry-cleaning businesses in the city so as to relocate. Kiki Shin said customers have been inquiring for several years about plans for new, healthier dry-cleaning technology. And some have said that they have allergies or skin sensitivities to residual chemicals on their clothing or to the odors they leave on clothing. Others are just interested in keeping up an environmentally conscientious community; the Berkshire Co-op is right next door with its organic foods and other products. A new wet washer, which uses water and biodegradable wash products, was a $32,000 item, while the new hydrocarbon machine, which uses nontoxic solvents, was a $63,000 investment. A new pressing machine also has been purchased. Hydrocarbon technology replaces the machinery that uses PERC, a shorthand term for perchloroethylene, which is still in use in the majority of dry-cleaning companies, according to Web research. The federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration has issued alerts that prolonged skin exposure to the chemical can cause adverse reactions and potential respiratory problems, resulting in a risk to employees in the dry-cleaning industry. Studies by the National Cancer Institute and the Environmental Protection Agency have established PERC as a potential carcinogen; malfunctions or old equipment in dry-cleaning establishments can affect groundwater or soil. Fumes from older dry-cleaning establishments can escape directly into the atmosphere. The Shins’ new equipment will be in use this coming week; the heavy fumes from the old PERC chemicals will dissipate and the waste collected every few months will be nontoxic. The owners said they don’t plan to pass on their investment cost to customers, and that the cost of home delivery and pickup, to just about anywhere in South County, is still just 75 cents. |
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Plans to develop Great Barrington Fairgrounds re-emerge 10/16 The next step in the developer – F Group’s plans could be submitted in about a month. F Group, whose lead local attorney is Phillip Heller of Lenox, has said that the plans will remain about the same as their previous submission, that the Secretary of Environmental Affairs decided would require the submission of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). Mr. Heller said F Group would begin with the town’s Conservation Commission, Planning Board, and Board of Selectmen. According to the Berkshire Record (10/13-10/19/06) this would be the largest mixed-use development in the county. BEAT will watch this process carefully. Nearly the entire area is at least floodplain. We are concerned about the Mean Annual High-Water line being accurately determined. If you take the highest level the river reaches each year, and then take the average of those, you determine the MAHW line. More practically, the line is determined by looking at the surrounding vegetation for undercuts on banks or high water marks on trees. Where ever the MAHW line is determined to be, that is where the edge of the river is, and where the 200 foot River Front Area is measured from. For more on this project see BEAT’s Great Barrington Fairgrounds page. |
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Pittsfield’s First “Green Drinks” a Huge Success
Thank you one and all for coming to the first Pittsfield “Green Drinks” at the Brew Works. I had such a good time, I forgot to count how many people we really had, but I estimate between 25 and 30. If anyone counted, please let me know. Now I realize that starting the seating with a booth in the corner, then adding on first one, then two, then three tables, was a mistake. I was sitting at the booth and had to leave early to pick up my son. I slipped down from the bench, and crawled under the table to get out. Okay, a few lessons learned – next time we will try to have tables in the middle of the room and encourage mingling. Also, we will do a pay the waitress as you go system – so no big hassle at the end. Remember, every third Tuesday of the month starting at 5:15 pm at the Brew Works, co- sponsored by the Center for Ecological Technology (CET) and the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT). The next one is November 21. CET & BEAT look forward to seeing you there. There are also Green Drinks in Great Barrington on the first Tuesday of each month at 5:15 pm at the Barrington Brewery, and in Northampton on the first Wednesday of each month from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Northampton Brewery. For more information about Pittsfield Green Drinks, contact Jamie Cahillane at CET (413-445-4556 ext. 14) or Jane Winn at BEAT (jane@thebeatnews.org or 413-230-7321). |
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ELM’s State of the Environment ReportHot off the press – the Environmental League of Massachusetts’ State of the Environment Report. Wow – what a great publication. Congratulations to authors MASSCHUSETTS’ ENVIRONMENT IS DECLINING The Massachusetts environment is deteriorating according to a report From greenhouse gas emissions to surface water quality to marine Key findings include:
“We don’t lose our environment suddenly, it happens incrementally, Nancy Goodman, Vice President for Policy at the Environmental One of the most troubling indicators was water quantity which Bernie McHugh, Coordinator of the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition, This report is available on-line. Massachusetts Environmental Collaborative member organizations will receive copies of the report – yet another reason to join. |
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Proposed New Emissions Regulations For Public Comment 10/18
310 CMR 7.29 “Emissions Standards for Power *Brief Explanation and Rationale for Proposed Changes: * The goal of the proposed amendments is to implement the requirements of the MassDEP also proposes to amend 310 CMR 7.02 to ensure that mercury emissions |
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New Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Atlas Available from MassLand Trust e-newsletter The Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) of the To view the revised Priority Habitats and Estimated Habitats, you can: * Purchase a copy of the 12th Edition of the Natural Heritage Atlas with * View the large Priority Habitat and Estimated Habitat maps that have been * Use the interactive web viewer. * Download the Priority Habitat and Estimated Habitat GIS datalayers from For more information about the new Natural Heritage Atlas or about |
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King Street Dump – BEAT’s comments on the Provisional CSA Review 10/23
On September 14, 2006 the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Bureau of Solid Waste (BSW) released their Provisional Comprehensive Site Assessment (CSA) Review, King Street Dump, Pittsfield , Massachusetts. (pages 1-6 and pages 7-14 ) Although CSAs are not usually provisional, DEP BSW knew BEAT and other environmental groups wanted to review and possibly comment on the CSA, so they issued the CSA as provisional to allow us a chance to review the document. BEAT did not feel that 21 days was enough time to review DEP’s Provisional CSA Review, so BEAT has been talking with DEP BSW. They have offered to extend the comment period by 30 days. BEAT’s comments are here (pdf). BEAT will be working closely with the Housatonic River Initiative to identify other areas in the Dump that should be tested for PCBs. BEAT thinks all the abutters should have been notified as well as anyone who has commented in the past. We will be working with the other environmental groups to try to reach out to anyone who is interested in the King Street Dump to help them get information or make comments. If you have questions please email Jane@thebeatnews.org or call 413-230-7321. |
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Save energy and money – computer tips
–A single computer with monitor running 8 hours a day, 5 days a week –Limit screen-saver use. A screen saver does not save energy. In fact, |